@SOCHA NA THA@ MG ff-ch 14, pg 54, 16th may - Page 17

Chapter 9

I got up from the couch scoffing off the irritation and ran towards the door thinking it might be Dev. I opened the door only to find veer uncle, my neighbor with a woman of my mom's age. I looked at her puzzled, she smiled. I then looked at veer uncle. Sensing my confusion,

"this is my daughter-in-law, Madhu. Maan's mother geet!", he assured she was no stranger.

I smiled at her warm aura. I sensed I liked her at one go. Probably she was much much different from maan. I don't know what got into me; I just bent down to her feet and took her blessings. She made me face her and took me into a love filled embrace. My heart felt happy as I responded. And then I saw maan smiling at me climbing the steps. His mischievous eyes spoke more than he ever did. I could sense he was penning this embrace down his memory, etching it in his heart forever. For once I was confused about his plans, but then again my mind had other things greater than this confusion. HATRED!!!

I broke away from her embrace and smiled at her.

"you are very sweet geet!!!", she patted my back and then walked inside with veer uncle.

Maan came and stood in front of me with his hands across his chest, smiling ever so warmly. I looked elsewhere as I was feeling uneasy at his gaze.

"geet", he called out.

I looked at him carelessly to let him know I was listening.

"smile!!! You look beautiful when you smile. From the day I first met you, probably this was the first time I saw you smiling" he declared so happily.

Wasn't he supposed to be sad, crying and all such things??? After all I had declared to him that I loved someone else. He never seemed to be upset about anything and this made me more uneasy about him. He was cool like ice and this was pinching my ego real hard. The charisma he held in his demeanor was spreading like wild fire around him and I couldn't fathom the fact. He smiled at me and started walking inside when I interrupted,

"why?"

"excuse me??? I dint understand you geet" he said truthfully and I knew it.

"why did ask me that question?"

"what question???", I could see from his face that he knew about what I was talking about. I wonder what he achieved from irritating me like this?

"don't act like you don't realise!!!", I said with sarcasm.

He laughed at my statement, as if mocking me.

"are you always this mocking???" I asked unable to control.

"not really but with you yes!!! You leave me no option, so I guess its fair!!!"

"whatever, you are just too impossible. Now if you could answer my qn, I could change my opinion about you!!!" I declared.

"what opinion???', he asked amazed!!!

"don't divert the topic, answer me maan!!!"

"maan???" he eyed me suspiciously.

"what??? Should I call you dusht danav???" I scoffed off.

"no, maan is better!!!" he smiled.

"I guess so, now….." I was restless and it showed.

"just out of curiosity! Nothing more nothing less!!!" he walked off saying that leaving me to wonder. Surely he was either lying or he was again trying to irritate me. The answer was still null and I hated it!!! What's with this guy??? I was facing the door and watching the direction he went when I felt a little tap on my shoulders. I was sooo lost I screamed at the top of my voice!!!!

"geet shut it out, will you??? It's just me, dev", he said covering my mouth with his hands and nodding for a no.

"when did you become so scary eyed???", he asked looking at my panic stricken face.

I just hugged him tightly. He patted my back, "are you alright???". I nodded and led him inside.

I led him to the living room where everyone were seated. "mom this is dev, my best friend at college!!!".

Everyone greeted each other and the place turned into a market with my mom and madhu aunty discussing something about marriage. Jia and ronith were fighting over the tv remote. Veer uncle and my granny glancing at each other, HUH!!! Old people! Pari and meera discussing abt their parents, maan and dev having chat about business. I dint understand where could I fit in??? was I nobody??? I could feel my eyes watery, I just rushed towards my room and closed the doors.

The tears started pouring down in a fit of rage. I was alone and it was a fact now with evidence right in front of me. I felt detached from my family. What was happening??? I was crying profusely when I felt someone's hand on my back. I just turned and hid my face in his chest and started crying. it was maan and I could recognize it from his scent. I was hurt and couldn't bare it, probably that was the reason I dint think before I hugged maan. He was caressing my head slowly, trying to comfort me and it was indeed working.

After a long time I finally broke away from him, composing myself, sniffing. He was looking at me all concerned. Eyeing me precautiously. When I was totally fine, I looked upto meet his gaze. He smiled lightly at me and for the first time I dint feel like hating the man in front of me. Of all the people downstairs, he was probably the only one who had understood my pained heart.

"are you fine now???" his voice was full of concern.

"I am fine now!!!"

"shall we go down now??? Everyone will be waiting for us", he smiled.

"how did you know??" I asked him out of curiosity.

"know what??"

"how did you know I was crying???'

"I just knew it, I don't know the reason for it yet!!!" he was truthful and I knew I could sense it in his voice.

He offered his hand, and I took it without a hitch. Probably I needed his emotional support right now. I dint complain. We both went down, everyone were already in the dining hall.

"where had you both vanished???" pari asked.

"just discussing business" maan replied even before I could think. He saved me.

"well sit down now, lets start!!!" mom said.

I could see that dev and meera were sitting with each other, with other scattered around the table. I felt a bit uncomfortable seeing this. Maan went and sat beside veer uncle, that left me a place beside pari. Madhu aunty and mom were serving to everyone.

"geet", dev called out. He was sitting exactly opposite to me. I looked up questioning him.

"geet how could you leave me alone and vanish off??? I don't even know ur family that well", he made a baby face.

"sorry!!!' is all I could say.

"no problem, actually I found a new friend, meera" and he winked at me. I tried to smile but just let it go. Dev was like this and I knew it. If someone could bring him on to the right track it was probably me. Right now it was not the time to think about it so I let the thought pass by. And I looked around. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the food, none the less even I liked the food. Meera was simply superb.

"uff who cooked this butter chicken??? I want to kiss the hands which cooked it so beautifully!!!", maan declared.

I lifted my eyebrows and thought "jerk".

"it was meera who cooked it maan" pari said with a teasing tone looking towards meera. Meera turned crimson. Dev was smiling.

"indeed its wonderful meera", dev praised her.

Maan got up from his seat and went towards meera. He went down to his knees and took meera's hands in his and kissed them. Everyone clapped and I was smiling at the turn of events. Maan was a spontaneous person which I came to know now. After dinner, everyone were busy talking and planning to leave. I was cleaning the dining table with pari when I saw that dev and meera were exchanging numbers and I thought " dev needs a class and I need to talk to him".

The guests planned to leave and all of us went out to the porch to bid them goodnight.

"meera you are just too god in cooking!!! Loved it!!!", dev said with a mischievous smile on his face. I glared at him and he winked at me. I just smiled at him.

"thank you", meera said. Dev was elated.

"thanks aunty for the wonderful dinner" he thanked mom, nodded towards me and left.

"geet dev is a nice guy" I could see meera was smitten by dev.

"think before you leap" I winked at her. She dint understand what I meant and let it go. I dint goto exaggerate things. Pari. Meera, veer uncle, madhu aunty everyone left.

"maan be fast" madhu aunty told him and she smiled at me and left.

Maan turned to my mom, "jenny thanks for everything, I just hope it was not a problem for you!!!" he had that genuine smile on his face and his eyes twinkled. Mom just smiled and went inside. Now he looked at me. I looked everywhere but him. He waited and could feel his gaze still over me. I just dint have that strength to face him.

"goodnight" I said and started towards the door when he caught my wrist and pulled me towards him. I fell on his chest. I could listen to his rhythmic heart beat, inhale his toxic scent. I was feeling like being drugged. I slowly lifted my head from his chest and looked at him. He was grinning at me. I just stared at him blankly. I was caught in his gaze and this was what I had feared.

"geet you were a wonderful host tonight!!!" he whispered. I realized he was no longer holding me. It was I who was clutching his shirt in my fists. I left his shirt and moved back.

"don't lie!!!"

"I never lie!!!"

"just leave me alone!!!"

"someday geet, someday I am going to make a place in your heart!!!"

Before I could reply anything he left the place leaving me in a maze. What did he mean??? why did he say that??? And why was I feeling like running away and hiding myself into some void??? Why was I feeling like crying??? What's happening in my life???

So many questions and I dint have a single answer to them. I felt like I was stranded on a deserted island, alone. This wasn't regular in my life. Such instances had never occurred before and this confusion maan was imbibing in my heart was creating waves of questions. And then there was dev. I dint understand what I could do. As the night sky shone with the stars and the full moon all I could expect was a new day in my life but I feared, I feared if that's going to happen and then I ran inside the house closing the door behind me.

Precap: love is selfless.

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